BOSTON - Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his family received state assistance until they became ineligible in 2012, a fact that is drawing questions from some Massachusetts legislators shocked at the idea that the state helped support an alleged terrorist.

"It's a very disturbing development," said Democratic state Rep. Colleen Garry. "He was eligible when he received it, but he obviously was ungrateful for it."

The state Department of Health and Human Services confirmed this week that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, with his wife, Katherine Russell, and their daughter received family benefits for a "limited" period of time. They lost benefits when the family's income made them ineligible.

"The brothers were not receiving transitional assistance benefits at the time of the incident and have not received any transitional assistance benefits this year," Alec Loftus, communications director of the Health and Human Services department, wrote in a statement.

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Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed Friday in a police manhunt and shootout that also led to the capture of suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, in Watertown. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been federally charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and is being treated for gunshot wounds at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital.

Loftus said he did not expect to have further details, such as specific benefits or how long Tamerlan Tsarnaev received assistance.

In March, the state had 104,444 recipients of Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children, according to the state Department of Transitional Assistance. A family of three making up to $1,171 per month could receive up to $633 per month under the department's guidelines.

Other forms of assistance include the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program with 888,527 recipients in January and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children with 23,708 recipients in March.

Loftus wrote in a statement that Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's parents received state assistance when they lived in the United States. The brothers were included as beneficiaries of their parents' benefits when they were younger.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has not received any welfare benefits as an individual.

However, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is a student at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, received a $2,500 scholarship from the City of Cambridge, where he attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

In 2011, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was one of 45 scholarship recipients. According to the City of Cambridge website, the scholarships are funded by local businesses and citizens. They are awarded based on academic merit, community involvement, and financial need.

UMass Dartmouth declined to release information about state financial aid he may have received. Katy Abel, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, said state and federal student financial information is confidential.

"Unless the student has filed a waiver, we cannot disclose that information," Abel said.

Area legislators had mixed reactions on what the Legislature's next steps should be.

Republican state Rep. Marc Lombardo said reports about the brothers' lifestyles raised questions about a need for welfare reform.

"Clearly we are not doing enough to clean up the waste, fraud, and abuse in the EBT system and our welfare system," Lombardo said.

However, Democratic Sen. Jamie Eldridge said the brothers' connection to state assistance does not mean the state should focus on welfare reform.

"How does receiving welfare have anything to do with a terrorist act?" said Eldridge. "I'm most focused on what can Massachusetts do to prevent these attacks in the future, and why did these two brothers commit this horrific act."